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This test consists of 5 short answer questions, 10 short essay questions, and 1 (of 3) essay topics.

Short Answer Questions

1. In Chapter 13, what reason does James think Eliades have for seducing Ann?

2. What celestial event is approaching as Owen travels to Rajsamand Lake in Chapter 12?

3. What does James do in Chapter 8 to forget about the cult one sleepless night?

4. What does Owen admit he failed to learn about the cult in Chapter 12?

5. In Chapter 12, what does Owen look at Rajsamand Lake?

Short Essay Questions

1. What is different about Chapter 14 from the rest of the novel?

2. What admission does James make to Lindsay Keller in Chapter 13?

3. Describe the political argument that James and Eliades have in Chapter 10.

4. What transpires during James' evening with Del Nearing in Chapter 10?

5. What does James Axton learn in Bombay early in Chapter 11?

6. Where is Volterra in his planning for the cult film at the end of Chapter 8?

7. How does Owen look in Chapter 12?

8. What information does Andahl give about the cult in Chapter 9?

9. What unfortunate occurrence happens to David Keller in Chapter 13?

10. How did Del Nearing and Frank Volterra meet?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Write an essay about Owen Brademas and his function thematically in the narrative. Based on first impressions from the opening chapters, what does Owen value above all else in life? What does he want to achieve? Discuss how these objectives drive Owen to seek out the cult, and how his skills make him the most effective of the searchers. Why does he become paralyzed by the prospect of meeting the cult? How does his experience with them leave him?

Essay Topic 2

The place of America in the international community is a recurring motif in the narrative. How are all of the main characters - James Axton, Kathryn Axton, and Owen Brademas - at the back and call of this place? What new dangers are emerging from the ether in regards to Americans abroad? How is James Axton an operative of America in the hostile international world? How does Eliades represent the opposite, a spokesman and operative for a disgruntled world?

Essay Topic 3

Don DeLillo's novel deals with the notion of marriage in the latter half of the twentieth century by observing several married people dealing with issues of modern marriage. Write an essay about three such individuals. How does each individual feel about the marriage? How do they deal with the temptations involved in living abroad? How do these decisions affect the marriage? Discuss the state of the marriage at the end of the novel:

Part 1) James Axton

Part 2) Ann Maitland

Part 3) Janet Ruffing

(see the answer keys)

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